August roundup - on the brink

A subdued month vs expectation in which trapping was partly restricted by holidays away. One new for the garden takes me to 299 macros so hoping for something special for the headliner 300th.

Lesser Swallow Prominent - new for garden 24th August - rather worn and found sitting in wet grass next to the trap

 Orange Swift - brown female, mostly I get small orange examples of this species and this was huge

 Small Ranunculus - not established around here yet - this is only the third one that I have caught

Yellow-barred Brindle - fresh and green

 Garden Dart - six in five years of this scarce species, always to manage to get one for the year list

Knot Grass - another scarcer one for me, usually just one each year

Herald - third garden record

Two brown newbies to end the summer

The end of August and into September was as expected full of brown moths with limited colour (other than on the underwings) to bring some variety. Two NFG's for me however, one that has been scarce the last few years in this area, and one that is listed as a rare resident.

 Small Square-spot, NFG 29th August, and recorded also 3rd Sept

Hedge Rustic, NFG 30th August - a different darker individual trapped on 3rd Sept

Also of interest, to me at least:

 Orange Swift variant

Tawny-barred Angle - second garden record, previous June 2010

 Feathered Gothic

 Square-spotted Clay - three moths caught on one night (29th Aug) one previous record 11th Sept 2010

Buff Footman 3rd Sept - one previous record July 26th 2010

Two new in two minutes

Two new for the garden out of two consecutive egg boxes this morning. One that has been caught by most of the active trappers locally now though still nationally rare, the other a partial fill for the prominent gap recently posted.

Small Ranunculus - new for garden 22nd August

Pale Prominent - new for garden 22nd August

Tawny Speckled Pug - not very many of these trapped here, either that or they are so battered that the tawny is not visible and they go in the pug sp box (four in 2010, all in August, but none in 2011, when I was away for most of August). Not illustrated on the blog previously

Wormwood Pug - just a couple a year of these. Not illustrated on the blog previously

Orange Swift - another one that was surprisingly not caught at all in 2011 maybe as I missed the main flight period

Quiet mid-September

It's been quiet this week with a continuation of the various coloured underwings and rustics including an increased number of Lunar Underwings in a variety of forms. Just the one new species for the garden, hiding amongst the brown noctuids.

Green Carpet (garden first on 13th September)

Female and male Orange Swift

Lunar Underwing (from the palest to the darkest so far)